WINDOW OAEDENING. 
181 
The strongest growing ferns may be placed in here, taking care to put a few 
crocks of broken brick or charcoal in the bottom of each basin for diainage. 
They may be used also for spring flowering Bulbs, and filled with hyacinths, 
crocuses, scillas, snowdrops, narcissus; and then when these are over, the con- 
tents may be emptied and refilled again with summer floweiing plants; but it <s 
usually best to devote them to such classes of 
plants as will flower the year round without 
any change. 
Figs. 59 to 66 show the different styles of 
mounting Fern cases with the customary cyhn- 
drical glass shades. 
In Fig. 43, we see one of the larger styles of 
Miss Maling's designs, intended to set upon a 
table. This is most charmingly filled ; and 
perhaps we cannot do better than let Shirley 
Hibberd himself, who filled it, tell us what is 
in it: 
" It fell to my lot to construct the mimic arch- 
way (a rockery,) and till it with pockets for the 
reception of small ferns. For that purpose I 
took two square seed pans, and placed them hot- pi„ gT.-Feru or Flower Case, 
torn upwards, on the zinc bottom of the case, as abutments, which, ofcour.se 
when the case was filled with soil, were hidden from view. From the flat foun- 
dation of clay thus provided, I began to build, using small pieces of coke dipped in 
a batter of cement, and spending a few hours every day for four days in succession 
upon the work ere it was completed. In the 
pockets were inserted specimens of Cystopteris 
reqia, Camptosaurus rliizophyllus, Asplenium 
fluhelUfolium, Scolopendrium, viilgare var 
ramosum, pohfschides, and vulgare ramo mar 
ginatum, Adiantum hisjndulum, and a few Se- 
lagineUas. The latter soon grew so as to 
smother the whole fabric, forming a rich bell of 
various tmts of blue and green, with the fern 
pushing through them. On the right liand side 
of the arch was planted Nephrolepis exnltata, 
one of the most suherb of Waidian Case ferns, 
and remarkably distinct, with its graceful arch- 
ing polypodium-like fronds. 
On the left hand Nephrolepis pedinata, which is of the same habit of growth, 
and a very beautiful and interesting fern; nevertlieless, less beautiful than 
the other, as it is also less vigorous. A small plant of Platijcerium ^r«»(fe was then 
planted in the shell of a cocoanut, and suspended by copper wire to the crown 
of the arch, and this spring its new growth was so vigorous that it had to b« 
.^%iL 
Fig. 68.- 
